We are in solidarity with the Palestinian Great Return March

April 30, 2018

Solidarity Message
Great Return March
ILPS-Philippines

We are in solidarity with the Palestinian Great Return March

The Philippines Chapter of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS-Phils) expresses its warmest solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Great Return March. On this eve of the International Labor Day, our mass organizations are set to launch solidarity actions towards the commemoration of Yawm an-Nakba (the 1948 “Day of the Catastrophe”).

The capitalist system is based on the mass dispossession, exploitation and oppression of working peoples in the crisis-laden creation of wealth and power for the few. This is further intensified under imperialism and Nakba is a product of this failing system. The 70th year of Nakba sees over seven million Palestinians today dispossessed and left out of their homeland. On the other hand, it saw more than US$134-B given by the US to Israel (1946-2017) excluding missile defense spending, making their corporations richer by the year.

The opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem this year by US Pres. Donald Trump and Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu tops the icing on their cake carved out of the Arab region. This is going to be a pyrrhic victory for the US-Israel combine. It is sure to be resisted not only by the Palestinians but also by the rest of the oppressed peoples of the world.

The sheer fascist brutality inflicted by the US-backed illegal state of Israel towards unarmed and peaceful protests in Gaza Strip, West Bank and other settlements does not deter us from fighting back and asserting the right of Palestinians to return to their homeland.

To this end, we are in solidarity with the struggle of over 6,500 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel and call for their release. We support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement as part of the global struggle against the illegal occupation of Israel. We are in solidarity with the Palestinian people themselves who are fighting with all their might for freedom and the right to return. We are in solidarity with the camp-out and protest actions for the Great Return March. We are in solidarity with all oppressed Arab peoples.

This is a defining moment for Palestinians, the Arab world and all peoples fighting for liberation. Either we stand fast for freedom or suffer the prolonged exploitation and oppression being inflicted by US imperialism, Zionist Israel and other US client states in West Asia (Middle East). The imperialist wars of intervention and aggression in the region have only fueled greater unrest and resistance by the peoples of the world.

Together we can achieve genuine unity, freedom, democracy and justice.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!

Long live the Great Return March!
Long live the Palestinian struggle!
Long live international solidarity!